Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Let me begin by apologising to the Deputies and those watching at home that my contribution will be as Béarla. My amendment, No. 168, aims to delete lines 18 and 19 on page 20 of the Bill, which read “as soon as is practicable after the establishment day”, and to substitute “by 31 December 2030”. The reason for this is that, after consultation with Conradh na Gaeilge, I believe “as soon as is practicable after the establishment day” is not a destination in any sense of the word. It leaves matters too open and provides too much of an escape clause. We are asking for a deadline of 31 December 2030, which is nine years away, by which 20% of those hired to the Civil Service will be competent in Irish. This is highly reasonable and incredibly achievable. This would bring some clarity and certainty to the matter for all of us who care about this issue.